


May Angels Lead You In

by wingsyouburn



Series: Tifa Week 2020 [5]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending, Implied Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart - Freeform, Pre-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:21:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingsyouburn/pseuds/wingsyouburn
Summary: Tifa still visits Aerith's church.
Series: Tifa Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729564
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	May Angels Lead You In

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tifa Week 2020 on tumblr, with the prompt: _“Down here in the atmosphere, garbage and city lights, you’ve gone to save your tired soul. You’ve gone to save their lives.” - somewhere out there - our lady peace_

The flowers still grow in the church. 

Tifa doesn’t spend much time in Sector 5, but every time she passes through, she makes sure to stop at the church. Meteorfall may have destroyed Midgar, but some parts are still inhabitable. The church is abandoned, but it’s clear the locals are caring for it in Aerith’s absence. Fiends avoid it and the door is never locked. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is either, for the flowers are always blooming. 

Sometimes she thinks she should take some flowers home and plant them at the bar. But somehow, it wouldn’t mean as much as they do inside this building. Tifa closes the door behind her and walks on soft feet, her steps echoing in the steep halls of the empty church. 

Maybe it’s her imagination, but she can feel Aerith here. The feeling envelops her, comforts her, and her breathing eases. Materia might be the source of magic, but this? This is something else entirely. 

Tifa kneels in front of the flowers. She fingers a petal and remembers the softness of Aerith’s smile, the rustle of her skirts, the wash of her spells over Tifa’s body in battle. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispers into the quiet, “I know - I know this was your choice. But I always feel like we should have done more. That we should have protected you.” 

The wind whistles through an open window. It strokes her cheek. Tifa leans into it, closing her eyes. 

“But right now?” She sighs, remembering when Aerith had touched her, all the fleeting hugs and caresses, moments that only live in her memory. “Maybe you’re still here with me. I can look out for them. I can carry us forward. For you.” 

One flower catches her eye. It’s a brighter yellow than all the others. “Lovers used to give these,” Aerith once told her, “when they see each other again.” 

Tifa’s hands are gentle as she plucks the flower and tucks it into her pocket. She has the fleeting thought of giving it to Marlene, but she knows it in her heart: Aerith left this for her. Smiling, she rises to her feet, bowing her head in reverence. 

“Thank you,” she says. “I’ll see you soon, okay?” 

She doesn’t have to return here to see Aerith. Little things always bring her to mind. Tifa knows she’ll never be forgotten. 

But sometimes, a flower is a nice reminder. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World.


End file.
